Page 74 of Deep Within Me

His thoughts paused as remnants of his earlier vision returned. Again, he saw a woman’s legs. A fire. An unpleasant taste filled his mouth. His voice didn’t sound like his own. “Does Kele have a scar on her ankle?”

Jacob studied the screen. “Maybe.”

“Does she?” Zeke snapped.

His brother and Liz stared at him. “I don’t know,” Jacob said.

“How can you not know that?” Zeke growled. “You’ve been around her since she was a kid.”

Jacob stared at him then glanced back at the computer screen. Liz rested her hand on Zeke’s chest. “What is it?” she asked him. “What have you seen?”

“Oh shit,” Jacob said.

Zeke released Liz and went around the table to his brother. “What?”

Jacob’s complexion had turned pasty. “She found the office where the transmission took place.”

“How?” Liz blurted.

“She used the calendar on the wall.”

Zeke’s belly clenched. The images in his vision all made sense now. “She’s heading there.”

“Why?” Liz cried.

“Because she brought Carreon’s men here,” Zeke said, feeling ill. “She put the stronghold and our people at risk.” He could barely breathe. “She wants to make up for it.”

Jacob stood. “We have to stop her.”

How? Too much time had passed for them to catch up. Exactly what Kele had wanted.

“You take the next exit,” Diaz said. He gestured to the highway sign illuminated by the Jeep’s headlights. Using the faint glow coming from the dash, he checked the map. “Then we go two miles to the intersection of Carmelita and Rio Rosa. There, we turn—hey, what are you doing?” He looked behind himself. “You missed the exit.”

“I remembered a better way,” Kele lied. She wiped her left palm on her jeans then her right. The last time her hands had been this sweaty was the night she’d gone to Carreon’s stronghold in the hopes of making Jacob her own.

Fool.

How could she have believed he’d love her after what she’d done? How could she have been so stupid?

“What better way?” Diaz finally said. “My aunt’s house isn’t far from that last exit. We’ll have to double back now.”

“It’s okay.”

He remained turned to her, watching, no doubt frowning. Kele ignored him.

“What’s this about?” he asked, his question laced with suspicion.

“I have to make a stop first.”

“Where?”

She took the next off-ramp. At this hour, the streets were deserted. Carreon’s man would soon be exiting the back of the strip club to throw out the trash and have a smoke.

Please, let him do that tonight.

“We’ll get Pedro as soon as I’m through,” Kele promised.

Diaz snapped, “Doing what?”